Vestibule-car



UNITED STATES ,PATENT EEIcE.

JAMES MEEHAN, or COVINGTON, KENTUCKY.

V\ESTIBU LE-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 512,513, dated January 9, 1894.

Application led April 15, 1893. Serial No. 470,409. (No model.)

To au whom t may concer-7c:

Be it known that I, JAMES MEEHAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Covington, in the county of Kenton and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in vestibule-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to means for holding the face plates of vestibules of adjacent cars in contact regardless of the changes in alignment incidental to the service.

The object of my invention is to provide means for accomplishing this result which willbe of simpler construction,less liable toget out of order, more accessible for repairs, and at the same time more efcient than the contrivances heretofore used, and the invention consistsin the parts and the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings Figure l. is a vertical longitudinal section through the end portion of a car and vestibule provided with myimproved equalizing apparatus. Fig. 2. is an enlarged horizontal section of the pressure cylinder.

A represents the outside carlin g of the hood of a railway car, and B the usual flexible curtains of the vestibule, secured at their outer edges to the upper end of U'shaped face or chang plates b, and constituting the diaphragm.

C isacylinder mounted inthe outside carling of the hood midway of the width of the car and having its inner end closed by a cap c.

D is a piston adapted to reciprocate in the cylinder and having a piston rod d adapted to abut against a plate b secured to the face plate b. I prefer to separate this plate from the face plate by an intervening non metallic backing b2 which may be of wood, but the bearing plate may be integral with the face plate. The contacting end of the piston rod ispreferably of curvilinear shape as shown at d.

E is a pipe leading directly from the auxiliary reservoir to the piston cylinder and entering the latter through a cored passage c. This leaves the cylinder free at the end and the cap can be taken 0E and the piston removed for repairs without disturbingthe pipe. The supply pipe is provided with a check valve e ad apted to retain the pressure in the pipe if the train be cut out. The apparatus is arranged to cause as little pressure upon the faces of the diaphragm as is consistent with maintaining the contact.

By making the contacting end of the piston rod of curvilinear shape I secure all of the freedom of the play which has been sought to be obtained by systems of independently yielding connections with the face plates, unl- Versal joints in the bearing rods and other complex arrangements.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a piston cylinder, mounted in thehood of a railway car midway of its Width; a pipe connecting the cylinder with a compressed air supply; a piston adapted to reciprocate in the piston cylinder, and a piston rod having an end of curvilinear form adapted to abut against a bearing plate carried by the face plate of the diaphragm substantially as and for the purpose specltied.

2. The combination of a piston cylinder, mounted in the hood of a railway car midway of its width; a piston adapted to reciprocate therein; a piston rod adapted to abut against a bearing plate carried by the face plate of the diaphragm; a cored passage 1n the wall of the piston cylinder and a pipe connecting the cored passage with the auxiliary air reservoir substantially as and for the purpose specied.

3. The combination of a piston cylinder, mountedin the hood of a railway car midway of its Width a piston adapted to reciprocate therein; a piston rod adapted to abut against a bearing plate carried by the face plate of the diaphragm; a pipe leading from the auxiliary air reservoir and entering the side wall of the cylinder, anda removable cap, constituting the closed end of the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of a piston cylinder, mounted in the hood of a railway car midway of its width a piston adapted to recipro- IOO vestibule car of the cylinder C, having cap c the check valve e substantially as and for the and cored passage 0'; the piston D, adapted purpose specified. to reciprocate in the cylinder; the piston rod Y T d., having curved end face d adapted to abut JAMES MEEIIAL' 5 against a bearing plate b carried by the face Witnesses:

plate; the pipe E, connecting the cored pas- JAMES N. RAMSEY, -sage c' with the auxiliary air reservoir, and EARNEST W. FRY. 

